Dioramic or panoramic structure



CHARLES HENRY BITTER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DIORAMIC OR PANORAMIC STRUCTURE.

SPEGI'PICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 337,869, dated March 16, 1886.

' Application tiled September 19, 1885.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES HENRY RIT- TER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dioramic or Panoramic Structures; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to dioramic or panoramic structures.

The objects of the invention are to obviate the necessity of great skill in arrangement of the light or relative coloring of the different portions of the scene, to make the effect the same under either natural or artificial light,- without change of any part of the scene or necessity of change of coloring, to obliterate the illusivc rising of foreground, blend the two planes perfectly, increase the seeming distance, enhance the scenic effect, make the illusion more charming, and give a larger field of observation with less area of canvas.

It is proper to state that dioramic or panoramic structures of the particular kind to which the present improvement relates consists, in general, of a prone portion, which constitutes the foreground, and an upright portion which constitutes the remainder or more distant part of the scene desired to be delineated, it being the effort so to arrange the light, or so relatively to color the two portions, the light being fixed, that they will appear to be one planethat is, on a horizontal plane, whereby the upright portion will appear in perspective or as a continuation of the prone portion in the same direction, and the impracticability. both as to space and perfection of view, of having the entire scene actually on one plane, is obviated; but heretofore the prone portion and the upright portion have been connected at a right angle, ornearly so-that is to say, the prone portion has been horizontal or nearly horizontal and the upright portion vertical or nearly vertical, and this with nothing to break the abrupt change from a horizontal to a vertical plane. Now,

the disadvantage of this is that when solar light is employed, this being necessarily directly above the horizontal portion or fore- Serial No. T7581. (No model.)

ground, coming usually through skylights which are not far removed from the vertical portion, the horizontal portion receives the rays directly or perpendicularly, and so gets the most light, the vertical portion receiving them indirectly or obliquely, in consequence of which unequal distribution of the color of the one plane must be actually darker than that of the other, in order to make the planes appear alike and not disclose the line or break at their intersection; while, when artificial light is employedas, for example, electric light-this being usually so placed as to throw the rays upon both planes alike-a different scheme of coloring must be adopted, especially at the intersection, to secure harmony of the scene. Furthermore, when the foreground is horizontal, it is well known that at the feet of the observer or toward its center the same appears much higher than at some point more distantas toward its peripheryand this of itself impairs the illusion as to distance by making the angle formed with the vertical portion seem more acute. Of course the great er the illusion as to distance, the more complete will be the effect. It requires great care and artistic skill with the ordinary construction to get the proper effect from the two planes, under the different lights, so that the illusion is perfect.

The invention consists in lowering the base or foreground considerably at the center or point of observation, or from the periphery toward the center.

The invention consists, furthermore, in the combination, with the base or foreground and with the walls, of a fillet interposed between the two at their intersection.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Figure 1 represents a vertical section of a structure embodying my improvement. Fig. 2 illustrates a number. of ways in which the two walls may be connected.

The letter A designates the upright wall, and O the roof or ceiling, which is preferably of a rotund form and provided with skylights or windows, and suitable openings for ventilation.

The letter B designates the prone foreground or base, which is shown inclined from the background is more easily accomplished oil, or gas, as may be convenient or desired, to

in Fig. '2, (marked w.)

its middle point upward toward the lower l edges of the upright walls, to which it is preferably joined by means of a curved fillet or strip, a, of canvas or other material, though the foreground need not abut against the up right wall, as shown in the detail of Fig. 2, (marked r.) At the center or depressed portion of the base or foreground is erected the usual observation-stand.

Suspended from the roof of the structure,to intercept the light coming to the observer from the'windows or skylights, is a canopy or shade, D. About theloweredge of this canopy or shade I arrange a number oflights, either electric,

illuminate the structure artificially, should this method be desired, or should the structure be made without skylights. To produce the most nearly perfect blending of the scene in a structure of this kind, the inclined floor B should figuratively continue as indicated in that detail'of Fig. 2 marked 8; but as such a structure is impracticable I most nearly approximate it by inclining the base or floor with or without inclining the wall A, and preferably interpose the curved fillet a. Thus, also, natural or artificial light may fall upon both portions or planes of the scene alike.

It is obvious that the walls need not be absolutely vertical and are not necessarily made in the form of a cylinder, but may be of any polyhedral form. It is also obvious that the roof may be of any shape suited to convenience or taste and to the requirements of the structure.

It will readily be understood that byjoining the inclined base or floor with the vertical wall the change from the foreground to the perspective or the background is not so abrupt as when the floor is horizontal and joined directly with the vertical walls, and consequently the blending of the foreground with and the illusion is more nearly complete. In some cases I may incline the upright wall backward, as shown in dotted lines in the details of Fig. 2, (marked t and u.)

The dotted lines in the lower portion of 'Fig. 1 illustrate how the floor on which the foreground is painted is ordinarily connected with the walls.

The fillet may be either concave or convex and of curved or angular cross -section, as shown in the details of Fig. 2, (marked it, u, and 12,) and the inclined fioor or base described may with advantage be used in connection with the upright wall without the particular fillet herein described, as shown in the detail A horizontal wall may be joined with a vertical wall by means of a curved fillet or strip ,with advantage over the angular connection ter of the building, I drop it on my angular platform,which inclines downward centrally, the large' circle being so near a straight line that when the bottom is turned the tabs formed by cutting or slitting the canvas will lap but little upon each other, thus interfering very little with the painting, which is at this part nearly all ground anyway. I then lay on my matching color.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim- 1. The combination, in a dioramic or panoramic structure with an upright wall, of a base or foreground inclined downward from such wall toward its center, as set forth.

2.- In a dioramic or panoramic structure, the combination, with an upright wall and a base or foreground, of a fillet-shaped portion between the two, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a dioramic or panoramic structure,

the combination, with the upright wall,of the base or foreground inclineddownward from its edge toward its center,and the fillet-shaped portion between the edges of the base or foreground and the wall, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a dioramic or panoramic structure,"

the combination, with vertical walls and a horizontal floor or base, of the curved fillet or ICC strip a between the said walls and floor, substantially as described.

'5. In a dioramic or panoramic structure, the upright wall united with the foreground or base by a gradual curve or by an obtuse angle or obtuse angles, substantially as'described.

In testimony whereof -I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses;

CHARLES HENRY BITTER.-

Witnesses:

WILLIAM T1 HANCOCK, WALTER L. JOHNSON. 

